Mounting device for lighting



April 28, 1953 H. H. WILLIAMSON 2,635,978

MOUNTING DEVICE FOR LIGHTING FIXTURE LENS Filed Oct. 17, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY April 28, 1953 H. H. WILLIAMSON 2,636,978

MOUNTING DEVICE FOR LIGHTING FIXTURE LENS I Filed Oct. 17, 1949 3 SheeS-Sheet 2 E E IE E E E INVENTOR.

HOWARD VV. WILLIAMSON BY GHMQM" Mohkv EACLL ATTORNEYS April 28, 1953 H. H. WMJAMSON 2,636,978

MOUNTING DEVICE FOR LIGHTNG FIXTURE LENS FJ' led Oct. l?, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. Homo w. wlLLlAMsoN Quik, Mok@ '6R11- ATTORNEYS' Patented Apr. 28, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE IVIOUNTING DEVICE FOR LIGHTING FIXTURE LENS- HowardH. Williamson, San Francisco, Calif., as-

signor to .Associated .Lighting Service, vSan Francisco, Calif., a :copartnership Application October 17, 1949, .Serial No. 121,667

S6 Claims. 1

This 'invention relates to lighting 'iiXtures Pand more particularly to a 'lighting xture having a novel support structure for the lens opening Yand support.

'The prior art contains many examplesof lighting fixtures, particularly those adapted for ceiling or `wall installation, in which lvarious means for obtaining laccess A*to :the fixture Vhave been shown. Many-of these are unsightly or do not 'provide an eflicient Vmeans for removing and installing other bulbs 'and ienses. Others 'have removable portions which must be held 'by the user lduring changing which is unsafe and diflicult if he is standing `on a step ladder or other support near the ceiling.

I'he Apresent invention 'has been designed to overcome these diiliculties and 'to provide a lighting fixture with a 'removable face or bottom for permitting repair or changing the elements.

Cne of the objects ofthe 'invention is a lighting fixture having a bottom lens support which is adapted to Abe moved away from the housing and yet supported in the removed position.

Another of the objects of the invention is a lighting viixture having a bottom lens srpport which may be moved outwardly from the housing and swung away to permit access to the lens, bu1b,-etc.

A 4further object ofthe invention 'is a lighting xture having a removable bottom lens support suspended from mechanismlocated entirely within the housing.

vYet another object of the invention is a lighting fixture having a. lens 'support mechanism entirely located within the housing and accessible through the lens opening.

'Still another object of the invention is a lighting Vfixture having va movable bottom 'to permit eflicient change or removal of bulbs, lenses, etc.

And a still lfurther object of the 'invention is 'a latch and support mechanism for a lighting iiX- ture entirely located within the housing.

llin the-drawings:

Fig. -l is a side elevation of the preferred form of the device "in its 'position in Vthe ceiling, with the ceiling shown in cross section. The dotted lines indicate the position of the bottom after the saine has been lowered and swung away.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the'device shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation ofthe device shown in Fig. l, with certain portions cut-away to show the construction.

Fig. 5'is a sectional view ofthe'device along the' lines 5-5 of Fig, 4.

Fig. 6 is a Vpartial top plan View of *the device shown in Fig. l with certain vportions cut away to show the construction.

Figs. '7, 8, and 9 are partial enlarged 'elevations of the support and latch 'mechanisms in varying positions.

In general the invention comprises a housing adapted to be seated in a recess in 4the ceiling. it is provided'with a bottom supporting ailens element Aover a lens opening. The bottom is supported by a mechanism which permits the vbottom to be lowered and partially swung away from the housing and which permits the'bottom to be removed if desired. The said mechanism is entirely enclosed within the housing and is accessible through the lens opening.

The preferred orm of the vinvention is villustrated in the drawings and is described in detail below` It should, of course, be clearly understood that this form is only one of many, others of which will be obvious to those skilled -in .the art.

The device comprises ametal housing, generally designated l. The particular form shown 'is square, having a top 2 and pairs of opposed-side walls 3 which may conveniently be ,formed with a plurality of holes, as at 4, for purposes -of ventilation. A strip of angle iron 5 is secured along the inner edge of each of the side walls for Stiffening purposes, with its ange extending outwardly of the wall. These parts are secured ,togather, as may the Vother sections of the unit, hy welding, riveting, bolting, etc.

The housing is closed by aseparate bottom, generally designated 5. This bottom .is .formed Vin. the shape of a square frame and is formed with-a square central hole, as at '1, to :provide `a. 4lens opening. The edges of the vframe .are slightly formed up, as aia-8, to improve theappearance and for strength.

The bottom B is also provided with an .angle iron strip .9 spacedfrom feacho itsedges endpositioned to it within and next 'to the angle .iron band 5 on the 'housing l. as may 'best be seen 'in Fig. 4.

The bottom is provided with a plurality of guide members H secured to the upstanding ilange of angle iron 9 for holding the lens, to be described, in place. These members may be formed of a piece of flat iiexible metal and are secured to the inner surface of the angle iron 9. Each maybe formed with strips I2, I3 which are bent .over along horizontal and vertical lines. respectively. to fonn guides. 'The "lens ll (which maybe 'an actual lens, a plain glass plate, a colored plate, or Whatever is desired) is adapted to lie on the inner upturned flange 8 of the bottom I and across the lens opening, as at 1. It is thus seen that the flanges I3 secure the lens from horizontal motion and the ilanges I2 limit upward motion of the lens. However` it should be noted that flanges I3 lie well above the lens I4 for a purpose to be described.

The bottom 6 is secured to the housing by a pair of supports, generally designated 2|. Each support may be formed from a single iiat piece of metal and is bent over at its ends to provide a pair of U-shaped guideways 22, 23 at the top and bottom, respectively. One of its longitudinal edges is also bent at a 90 angle to form a stop 24. Each support is also formed with a longitudinal slot, as at 25, adjacent the edge opposite stop 24. The slot is enlarged at its upper end, as at 26, to permit the support to be slipped over a rivet or pivot 21 mounted in the angle iron 5.

It is thus seen that the bottom 6 is effectively hungfrom the pivots 21 in the housing by means of supports 2| and is adapted to be swung into the dotted position shown in Fig. l.

. Each support 2| is provided with a latch element 3| which is generally rectangular in shape and has one of its edges bent up to form a stop 32 and for strength. The ends of the latch element are slightly curved and are received by the guides 22, 23. The latch element is also formed with a slot, as at 33, providing cam surfaces to engage pivot 21. This slot is positioned angularly with respect to slot 25 and is enlarged at its upper'end, as at 34, to receive the pivot 2l. The

lower end of slot 33 extends substantially horizrontally across the latch element, as at 35. A small tension spring 36 is secured across the latch element and is suitably connected between stop 24 on support 2l and stop 32 on latch element 3 I.

the support 2| and latch element 3|, respectively.

To close the entire unit, the bottom may be moved vertically upwardly, until the support 2| slides to the position shown in Fig. 8. The position of pivot 21 in the slots has caused the latch element to rotate clockwise, as can be seen. As further upward motion continues, and as the spring 36A moves past the pivot 21, its action will cause the latch element to quickly rotate in a counterclockwise direction for assuming the position shown in Fig. 9. When the bottom is moved upwardly against the housing, as shown in Fig. 5, the latch element Will snap into the position shown in that gure, with pivot 21 being positioned within the horizontal portion 35 of slot 33. In this position, the unit is locked and the bottom cannot move downwardly.

To open the unit from the closed or latched position of Fig. 5, the lower end of the latch element may be moved to the right (in Fig. and the support 2| and bottom 6 will easily slip downwardly to the position of Fig. 7. This movement of the latch element to unlock the same is easily accomplished manually through the lens opening 1 in bottom 6. Itis noted, as can best be seen in Fig. 4, that upward movement of the lens I4 is limited only by the strips I2 on guide members Thus, the lens I4 may be lifted to that point and the fingers or other tool inserted within the housing to move the latch to permit the bottom to be dropped. Stop 32 on the latch provides a convenient surface to apply the necessary force.

The device is, of course, provided with a suitable connector box 4I which is suitably connected to a conventional socket (not shown). A suitable reiiector 42 may be provided inwardly of the housing to reflect the light rays of the bulb 43 downwardly through the lens and lens opening. Normally the unit would be supported in the ceiling of a room, as indicated in Fig. l so that the bottom would be iiush against both the ceiling and the housing.

It is clear from the above description that the structure permits the changing of bulbs, reflectors, lenses, etc. without completely removing any of the parts. The bottom can be lowered and swung out of the way, as shown in Fig. l and it is not necessary for the user to hold anything in his hands while making the necessary changes. Bulbs may be easily changed and by bending up the strips I2 on guide members I I, new or additional lens elements may be inserted. On the other hand, if it is desirable for any reason, the entire bottom and the supports may be removed by slightly shifting the latch element from the position shown in Fig. '1 to obtain coincidence of the enlarged ends 26, 34 of the slots 25, 33, in which position, their exibility will permit them to be removed from the pivot 21.

It should also be noted that the invention provides an eiiicient structure for installation inasmuch as only the housing need be originally put in place and the bottom subsequently secured. Also, the latch is entirely contained within the housing and there are no external elements to cause unsightliness and which might be accidentally tripped from outside.

I claim:

l. In a lighting fixture having a housing with an open lower end: a bottom for said housing having a lens therein, an upwardly extending elongated support rigidly secured at its lower end to said bottom, a pivot on said housing on which said support is adapted to be suspended at a point adjacent its upper end, a slot in said support for receiving said pivot to permit upward movement of said bottom toward said lower end, an elongated latch element carried on said support in side by side relationship with the latterand adapted to engage said pivot during said upward movement and for securing said bottom against said lower end, said latch being provided with a longitudinally extending slot for receiving said pivot during said movement, a recess connecting with said slot for receiving said pivot when said bottom is against said lower end, means for swinging said latch about a horizontal axis during upward movement of said bottom toward said lower end whereby said pivot will be received in said recess for so securing said bottom when the latter is against said lower end.

2. In a lighting fixture having a housing with an open lower end; a bottom for said housing having a lens therein, an upwardly extending elongated support secured at its lower end to said bottom and provided with a longitudinally extending slot, an elongated latch element carried by said support in side by side relationship therewith at all times, said latch element being provided with a longitudinally extending slot and said housing having a nXed pivot extending through the slots of said support and said latch element, spring means operatively connecting said support and said latch element for urging a sidewall of said latch slot against said ivot at all times, said latch slot being provided with an oiset portion adjacent its lower end for receiving said pivot when said bottom is in closed position against said open lower end.

3. In a lighting fixture having a housing with an open lower end; a bottom for said housing having a lens therein, an upwardly extending elongated support secured at its lower end to said bottom and provided with a longitudinally extending slot, an elongated latch element carried by said support in side by side relationship therewith at all times, said latch element being provided with a longitudinally extending slot and said housing having a fixed pivot extending through the slots of said support and said latch element, spring means operatively connecting said support and said latch element for urging a sidewall of said latch slot against said pivot at all times, said latch slot being provided with an offset portion adjacent its lower end for receiving said pivot when said bottom is in closed position against said open lower end, said lens being movable upwardly relative to said bottom to provide access to said latch from outside the housing whereby said latch element may be swung against the resistance of said spring means to remove said pivot from said oiset portion to permit lowering said bottom from said closed position.

4. In a lighting xture having a housing with an open lower end; a bottom for said housing having a lens therein, an upwardly extending elongated support secured at its lower end to said bottom and provided with a longitudinally extending slot, an elongated latch element carried by said support in side by side relationship therewith at all times, said latch element being provided with a longitudinally extending slot and said housing having a xed pivot extending through the slots of said support and said latch element, spring means operatively connecting said support and said latch element for urging a sidewall of said latch slot against said pivot at all times, said latch slot being provided with an offset portion adjacent its lower end for receiving said pivot when said bottom is in closed position against said open lower end, said pivot having an enlarged head for slidably securing said support and said latch element thereto and said support slot and latch slot being enlarged adjacent their upper ends to permit registration of the enlarged portions of said slots with said head to permit removal of said support and latch element from said pivot when said bottom is in open position.

5. In a lighting xture having a housing with an open lower end and a bottom including a lens for closing said end, a mounting device for such fixture comprising: an elongated vertically extending support adapted to be secured at its lower end to said bottom, and an elongated latch element in side by side relationship with said support, said support and latch element each being provided with a longitudinally extending slot, a pivot pin passing through said slots and adapted to be secured at one end to said housing adjacent the lower end of the latter, the opposite end of said pin being enlarged for retaining said latch plate against said support to permit said latch plate to oscillate relative to said support, spring means for urging said latch element in a direction transversely of said slots for holding a longitudinal sidewall of said latch slot against said pin, whereby said bottom may be moved vertically toward and away from said open end when said support is secured to said bottom and said pivot pin is secured to said housing, the lower end of said latch slot being provided with an enlargement adapted to receive said pin when said bottom is against said open end, said spring means being positioned at a point intermediate the ends of said support and said latch element for urging the latter to a position with said enlargement engaging said pin.

6. In a lighting xture having a housing with an open lower end and a bottom including a lens for closing said end, a mounting device for such xture comprising: an elongated vertically extending support adapted to be secured at its lower end to said bottom, and an elongated latch element in side by side relationship with said support, said support and latch element each being provided with a longitudinally extending slot, a pivot pin passing through said slots and adapted to be secured at one end to said housing adjacent the lower end of the latter, the opposite end of said pin being enlarged for retaining said latch plate against said support to permit said latch plate to oscillate relative to said support, spring means for urging said latch element in a direction transversely of said slots for holding a longitudinal sidewall of said latch slot against said pin, whereby said bottom may be moved vertically toward and away from said open end when said support is secured to said bottom and said pivot pin is secured to said housing, the lower end of said latch slot being provided with an enlargement adapted to receive said pin when said bottom is against said open end, said spring means being positioned at a point intermediate the ends of said support and said latch element for urging the latter to a position with said enlargement engaging said pin, said latch plate being free for oscillatory movement relative to said support upon vertical movement of the latter relative to said pin.

HOWARD H. W'ILLIAMSON.

References Cited in the le 0f this patent tember 1947, page 17. 

